The Charwoman's Shadow. Lord Dunsany.

This was recommended here by William Hyde six or seven hundred years ago
and I have finally read it. David Goldfarb preferred the shorter two
page stories which I might describe as aphorisms based on Fifty-one
Tales with which I began Dunsany and soon discarded.
I was soon lost in a pleasant contentment reading the longer, though
only about 200 pages, simple-plotted Charwoman. What beautiful writing!
Everything magical so precisely explained with logical clarity about
absurd fantasy properties of even the shadow with many subtle moments of
humour, some of which I probably missed when reading whilst tired.
Motivations were pragmatic but mainly based on cooperation and respect
though there was minor conflict between the supernatural worlds of
wizardry and religion.
I have no interest in its place in fantasy history. I recommend it as a
brilliant relaxing read. What an entertainment! I loved it.
Thank you again, William Hyde.

Titus G wrote:
> The Charwoman's Shadow. Lord Dunsany.
>
> This was recommended here by William Hyde six or seven hundred years ago
> and I have finally read it. David Goldfarb preferred the shorter two
> page stories which I might describe as aphorisms based on Fifty-one
> Tales with which I began Dunsany and soon discarded.

Maybe you can get well into the aphorisms of _The Gods of Pagana_, before you realize that, no, they aren't going to build into anything.

> I was soon lost in a pleasant contentment reading the longer, though
> only about 200 pages, simple-plotted Charwoman. What beautiful writing!

I don't know if I remember this book, (good thing I have it to reread!) is it the one with a knight who is above hitting his opponent with a skillet, but fortunately his squire isn't?

--
-Jack

On Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 12:50:39 AM UTC-4, Titus G wrote:
> The Charwoman's Shadow. Lord Dunsany.
>
> This was recommended here by William Hyde six or seven hundred years ago
> and I have finally read it. David Goldfarb preferred the shorter two
> page stories which I might describe as aphorisms based on Fifty-one
> Tales with which I began Dunsany and soon discarded.
> I was soon lost in a pleasant contentment reading the longer, though
> only about 200 pages, simple-plotted Charwoman. What beautiful writing!
> Everything magical so precisely explained with logical clarity about
> absurd fantasy properties of even the shadow with many subtle moments of
> humour, some of which I probably missed when reading whilst tired.
> Motivations were pragmatic but mainly based on cooperation and respect
> though there was minor conflict between the supernatural worlds of
> wizardry and religion.
> I have no interest in its place in fantasy history. I recommend it as a
> brilliant relaxing read. What an entertainment! I loved it.
> Thank you again, William Hyde.

You are welcome. Though it was Poul Anderson who convinced me to read it. I had previously
struggled through "The King of Elfland's Daughter" and was not likely to buy more of Dunsany's work.

Not that I am saying TKOED was a poor book - I was sixteen when I tried it, perhaps not the optimal
age. I'd be interested in hearing of any Dunsany that people liked.

He's the only poet I know of who wrote on two of my obsessions, glaciology and chess.

William Hyde

On 22/06/22 02:22, Jack Bohn wrote:
> Titus G wrote:
>> The Charwoman's Shadow. Lord Dunsany.
>>
>> This was recommended here by William Hyde six or seven hundred
>> years ago and I have finally read it. David Goldfarb preferred the
>> shorter two page stories which I might describe as aphorisms based
>> on Fifty-one Tales with which I began Dunsany and soon discarded.
>
> Maybe you can get well into the aphorisms of _The Gods of Pagana_,
> before you realize that, no, they aren't going to build into
> anything.

There are probably gems in there but I will not search for them.

>> I was soon lost in a pleasant contentment reading the longer,
>> though only about 200 pages, simple-plotted Charwoman. What
>> beautiful writing!
>
> I don't know if I remember this book, (good thing I have it to
> reread!) is it the one with a knight who is above hitting his
> opponent with a skillet, but fortunately his squire isn't?
>

No. It is not. It is about an innocent simple honest religious youth who
is sent to learn Black Arts to fill his sister's dowry chest with gold
created by wizardry lest she become a spinster despite her beauty.
Whilst the plot appears simple and because the reader knows in advance
what will happen, that doesn't matter because the writing is so
brilliant and whilst the characters are fairy tale type characters, they
are also brilliant being portrayed as they see themselves, adhering to
their own differing beliefs and ethics with honesty and with differing
motivations. There are no real villains but a very greedy person is
punished the most.
I hope you enjoy the reread. I am sure I will read it again.
And I would like to read of your impressions.

On Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 7:36:11 PM UTC+1, William Hyde wrote:
> On Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 12:50:39 AM UTC-4, Titus G wrote:
> > The Charwoman's Shadow. Lord Dunsany.
> >
> > This was recommended here by William Hyde six or seven hundred years ago
> > and I have finally read it. David Goldfarb preferred the shorter two
> > page stories which I might describe as aphorisms based on Fifty-one
> > Tales with which I began Dunsany and soon discarded.
> > I was soon lost in a pleasant contentment reading the longer, though
> > only about 200 pages, simple-plotted Charwoman. What beautiful writing!
> > Everything magical so precisely explained with logical clarity about
> > absurd fantasy properties of even the shadow with many subtle moments of
> > humour, some of which I probably missed when reading whilst tired.
> > Motivations were pragmatic but mainly based on cooperation and respect
> > though there was minor conflict between the supernatural worlds of
> > wizardry and religion.
> > I have no interest in its place in fantasy history. I recommend it as a
> > brilliant relaxing read. What an entertainment! I loved it.
> > Thank you again, William Hyde.
> You are welcome. Though it was Poul Anderson who convinced me to read it. I had previously
> struggled through "The King of Elfland's Daughter" and was not likely to buy more of Dunsany's work.
>
> Not that I am saying TKOED was a poor book - I was sixteen when I tried it, perhaps not the optimal
> age. I'd be interested in hearing of any Dunsany that people liked.
>
> He's the only poet I know of who wrote on two of my obsessions, glaciology and chess.
>
> William Hyde
I have a large collection of Dunsany's short stories called "Time and the Gods" which includes "The Gods of Pegana". I enjoyed all of this, including Pegana, reading them as short individual stories, so I don't even notice whether they go anywhere or not - although a few of them have stuck in my mind, of which the first to come to mind was "The Exiles Club". I think I have a copy of "The King of Elfland's Daughter" which I bought because it was by Dunsany, and have not reread.

On 22/06/22 16:33, Andrew McDowell wrote:
snip
> I have a large collection of Dunsany's short stories called "Time and
> the Gods" which includes "The Gods of Pegana". I enjoyed all of this,
> including Pegana, reading them as short individual stories, so I
> don't even notice whether they go anywhere or not - although a few of
> them have stuck in my mind, of which the first to come to mind was
> "The Exiles Club". I think I have a copy of "The King of Elfland's
> Daughter" which I bought because it was by Dunsany, and have not
> reread.

The closest I could find was _The Return of the Exiles_ which was OK
but forgettable. I have downloaded all the Lord Dunsany ebooks from
Project Gutenburg.

Titus G wrote:
> On 22/06/22 02:22, Jack Bohn wrote:
> > Titus G wrote:
> >> The Charwoman's Shadow. Lord Dunsany.
> >>
> >> This was recommended here by William Hyde six or seven hundred
> >> years ago and I have finally read it. David Goldfarb preferred the
> >> shorter two page stories which I might describe as aphorisms based
> >> on Fifty-one Tales with which I began Dunsany and soon discarded.
> >
> > Maybe you can get well into the aphorisms of _The Gods of Pagana_,
> > before you realize that, no, they aren't going to build into
> > anything.
> There are probably gems in there but I will not search for them.

There are, and probably the better for not having to worry about not contradicting each other.
It's just strange that this pantheon is of unitary gods.

[Charwoman's shadow]
> > I don't know if I remember this book, (good thing I have it to
> > reread!) is it the one with a knight who is above hitting his
> > opponent with a skillet, but fortunately his squire isn't?
> >
> No. It is not.

I checked Gutenberg, it's the _Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley_,and not his squire but his servant. These errant knights seem never to travel with a squire, but with a low-class servant. I read this on either my PDA or my smartphone, I would have had one by then, but not yet a service contract. _Fifty-One Tales_ fit fine for reading on my phone: there was a 30-second process at work that demanded my presence but not much of my attention. _King of Elfland's Daughter_, no; it slows me down to "read aloud in my head" speed, sometimes backing up and trying again after a rehearsal. At least I have _Charwoman_ in print. I try to do mostly non-screen reading during daylight hours.

--
-Jack

Titus G wrote:
>
> The Charwoman's Shadow. Lord Dunsany.
>
> This was recommended here by William Hyde six or seven hundred years ago
> and I have finally read it. David Goldfarb preferred the shorter two
> page stories which I might describe as aphorisms based on Fifty-one
> Tales with which I began Dunsany and soon discarded.
> I was soon lost in a pleasant contentment reading the longer, though
> only about 200 pages, simple-plotted Charwoman. What beautiful writing!
> Everything magical so precisely explained with logical clarity about
> absurd fantasy properties of even the shadow with many subtle moments of
> humour, some of which I probably missed when reading whilst tired.
> Motivations were pragmatic but mainly based on cooperation and respect
> though there was minor conflict between the supernatural worlds of
> wizardry and religion.
> I have no interest in its place in fantasy history. I recommend it as a
> brilliant relaxing read. What an entertainment! I loved it.
> Thank you again, William Hyde.
>

I picked this up way back when because of the quotes from it in Nethack.
That was my introduction to Dunsany. Don't ever say computer games
don't teach anything.

On 2022-06-21, Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> wrote:
> I recommend it as a brilliant relaxing read. What an
> entertainment! I loved it.

I read this in 2010 and wrote this in my notes:

I think this book was meant to be enjoyed, not understood. The
language is more simple than the topics covered. Many times the
narrator commented on the thoughts and ways of youth, about
happiness, and about what really matters. Toward the end, the
charwoman tells Raymond that even her body is an illusion and is not
her true self. Ursula Le Guin referred to Lord Dunsany as the first
terrible fate that awaiteth unwary beginners in fantasy. Ironically,
I can see a resemblance between The Charwoman's Shadow and A Wizard
of Earthsea.

-Ben